Draw mechanism of straight bar knitting machines



J. E. LYNAM ET AL.

I Oct. 7, 1947.

- DRAW MECHANISM OF STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet-lFiled ,May 2; 1945 uenlor J By Hum. m (5.0% 5

Oct-' 1947- J. E. LYNAM ET AL I 2,428,465

DRAW MECHANISM OF STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed May 2, 1945 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventors olw 0L B M s'wfi y 8mmmow Patented Oct. 7, 1947DRAW MECHANISM OF STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINES John E. Lynam,Mapperley, and Patrick G. McCarthy, Whitwick, England, assignors toWilliam Cotton Limited, Loughborough, England Application May 2, 1945,Serial No. 591,464

' In Great Britain January 6, 1945 In Cottons patent and other straightbar knitting machines, it is usual to reciprocate certain members (suchas carriers and slurcocks) along the length of the line of needles bydraw or Coulier mechanism including an upstanding draw lever which ispivoted at its lower end and oscillates in a vertical plane extendinglengthwise of the machine. This oscillating draw lever has certaindisadvantages. Because of the area which it sweeps out in itsoscillation it unduly restricts the space whereat controls and othermembers extending from front to rear of the machine may be located, andthe fact that it oscillates introduces undue complexities in the designof a draw cam to give the required motions to the carriers andslurcocks. An object of the present inven-- tion is a construction ofCoulier or draw mechanism which obviates or minimises thesedisadvantages, and another object is a construction of draw mechanismwhich facilitates the use of an hydraulic driving coupling, of thepiston and cylinder type, as described in the Specifications of BritishLetters Patent Nos. 565,240 and 565,268, since it permits the couplingto be installed in the machine at a location remote from the member thatit drives.

The present invention provides in Coulier or draw mechanism for aCottons patent or other straight bar knitting machine incorporating adriven member movable to and fro rectilinearly and a driver, below it,also movable to and fro;

15 Claims. (01. 66-110) a connection for driving said member from thedriver comprising an upstanding rotary spindle. This connection occupiesbut little space compared with that swept out by a draw lever, and moreroom is therefore available for controls and other members extendingfrom front to rear.

Preferably the driving member is movable rectilinearly andrack-and-pinion gearing is provided coupling the upper and lower ends ofthe spindle to the driver and driven member respectively. Thisconstruction simplifies the design of a draw cam which reciprocates thedriving member.

The invention further provides a Coulier or draw mechanism for astraight bar knitting machine incorporating a reciprocable driven memberand, below it, a reciprocable driver; a hydrauli driving apparatus forthe latter, and an upstanding rotary spindle, and gearing, for driv ingthe driven member from the driver.

These and other features of the invention set out in the appended claimsare incorporated in the Coulier or draw. mechanism that will now be.

I described, as an example, with reference to the accompanying drawingsin which Figure 1 is a sectional elevation, taken in a plane at rightangles to the length of the machine, showing the relevant parts, and

Figure 2 is a rear elevation thereof, partly in section.

In these drawings, only those portions of a Cottons patent or otherstraight bar knitting machine are shown that will assist in anunderstand ing of the invention. Longitudinal members of the machineframe are indicated at 23 and 2 5; 25 is the main cam shaft which drivesthe draw cam shaft 25 (extending from front to rear) at half speed inthe usual manner, this shaft carries draw cam 21 which engages trucks 28on the draw bar 28 and reciprocates the latter lengthwise of the machinein suitable guides 39. 3| indicates the needle bar carrying needles 32,33 the sinkers, 34 the jacks, 35 the slurcocks, 36 the slur bar, l9 acarrier rod and 29 a carrier. It will be understood that the carrier rod19 and the slur bar 36 reciprocate along the needle line in suitableguides which it is unnecessary to illustrate, and that whereas theseparts are in the upper region of the machine the cam shafts, drawv cam,and draw bar are in the lower region. The draw bar 28 is provided with aracket teeth 31 engaging a pinion 38 on the bottom end of a verticalhollow spindle 39 which at its upper end has a gear 49 engaging a rackof teeth 4! on a member (such for example as the slur bar 36) whichrequires to reciprocate with constant amplitude with the result that asthe draw bar 23 reciprocates the spindle 39 revolves to and fro and theslur bar 36 or the like is reciprocaied.

Parallel with the draw bar 28, there is a sec ond bar 40 reciprocable insuitable guides 39, which bar 49 is driven hydraulicallypreferably by acoupling IE] according to the aforesaid specifications, so that itstraverse may be varied. Reference is to be made to the specification fordetails but it may here be explained that the coupling 1 0 consists of acylinder l I connected to one bar (here shown as being the draw bar 28),

a piston l2 working therein and connected to the The variable-strokesecond bar 40 has a rack of teeth 43 engaging a pinion 44 on the bottomend of a second vertical spindle 45 that is supported in suitablebearings 46 and extends up through theinteriorof the hollow spindle-39(the latter being, conveniently journaled on it by needle rollerbearings 47 or the like) At its top end the second'spindle 45 has a gear48 meshing with a rack of teeth 49 on the carrier rod [9, so

that as the draw bar 28 reciprocatesthe carrier rod 19 is drivenhydraulically to and fro with a traverse determined by the settingof-the valveoperating means 2 la, 2 lb. The said means is adjustablewith the carrier steps 26, so that as. the

carrier rod l9 strikes a stop at the end of its travel the valve 2| isoperated to freethe coupling with the result that during the subse-.

quent travel of the slur bar 36 and draw bar 28 the cylinder l0 slidesover the piston l2 and 1 hydraulic fluid is pumped through the conduit20 from one side of the piston to the other, until such time in thereverse travel of the draw bar and slurbar the conduit 20 ,isclosed tocause the coupling. lll'to pick up the drive. It may here be pointed outthat it is difficult to install hydraulic driving apparatus adjacent tothe member, such as a carrier rod 19 or the like, that it is to drivebecause'of the complexity of mechanisms adjacent to the needle row, butthe foregoin driving mechanism permits it to be installed withconvenience at a remot'e'location. In the illustrated construction thehydraulic coupling H! is installed in the lower regions of the machine,adjacent to the draw bar 28, and it will readily be appreciated that thecomparatively slender driving connection afforded by shafts 4 Vrocatable driver; hydraulic driving apparatus for the latter, and anupstanding rotary spindle, and gearing, for driving the driven memberfrom the driver.

4, In Coulier or draw mechanism for a straight bar. knitting machine ofthe kind incorporating two driven members movable to and fro, one with aconstant amplitude and the other with a variable amplitude, and a commondraw member which is reciprocated with a constant amplitude and whichdrives both the driven members; the combination of a rotary spindle fordriving the first driven ,member from the common draw member, and anhydraulic coupling and a second rotary spindle for. driving'the otherdriven member from the common draw member and means controllingsaidhydraulic coupling to vary the 39and 45'renders'available ample spaceforthe passage of controls and the like between front and rear of themachine (i; e. through the plane of thepaper in Fig. 2)

' It will be noticed that the hydraulic coupling ll], of the piston andcylinder type, has a-cl'osed bar knitting machine incorporating a drivenmember movable to" and no rectilinearly and a driver, below it, alsomovable 'to and fro; a connection for driving said member from thedriver comprising an upstanding rotary spindle means connecting thedriver to the lower end, and means connecting the'driven member to theupper end, of said spindle.

2. In Coulier or draw mechanism for a straight a draw bar reciprocatedthereby, and a driven member reciprocated adjacent to the needle line byth'e draw bar; a driving conne'ction be'tween the draw bar and saidmember comprising-an up- 7 standing rotary spindle, rack-and-piniongear- 7 ing at the'lower end of said spindle connecting said lower endwith the draw bar and rack-andpinion gearing driving the sai'dmemberfrom its upper end;

'3. In Coulier or draw mechanism for a straight bar knitting machineincorporating a recipro-' catable driven member and, below it, arecipbar knitting machine incorporating a draw cam,

amplitude of traverse of said other member.

5; Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein one of the spindles is hollowand the other is located inside it.

6. In Coulier or draw mechanism for a straight bar knitting machine ofthe kind having two.

members movable to and fro alonga line of knitting instruments anddriving apparatus therefor located at a lower level; an upstandinghollow spindle for driving one member from the driving apparatus, asecond spindle extending in the interior of the hollow spindle fordriving the other member from said apparatus, means connecting the lowerends of said spindles to'the drawing apparatus, and means connectingtheir upper ends to the respective members driven bif them;

'7. In Coulier or draw mechanism fora barknitting machine of the kindhaving a member movable to and fro along the needle linev with aconstant amplitude; a carrier movable to and fro along said'line with avariable amplitude, and driving apparatus for driving said member andcarrier, said apparatus including a driver movable to and fro with-aconstant amplitude," the combination of two rotaryspindles for drivingsaid member and carrier respectively from the driver, and atraverse-varying coupling interposed between the driver and thecarrier-driving spindle for varying theamplitude of travel of thecarrier. m V

8. A combination according to claim 7; wherein the coupling is anhydraulic coupling having a closed circuit for the hydraulic liquid andvalve means controlling said circuit for rendering the couplingoperative and, inoperative.

9. In Coulier or draw mechanism 'for a straight bar knitting machine ofthe kind having a member movable to and fro along the line of needleswith a constant amplitude, a carrier movable along said line with avariable amplitude, and. a

draw bar reciprocatable with a constant am plitude for driving themember and carrier; the

combination of a rotary spindle for driving the said member from thedraw bar, asecond re ciprocatable bar adjacent to the draw bar, atraverse-varying coupling connecting thedraw bar to the second bar todrive the latter, control means for rendering said coupling operativeand inoperative and for thereby varying the traverse of the second bar,and a rotary spindle for driv:

ing the carrier from the secondbar. g

10. A combination according to claim 9, having, rack-and-pinion gearingfor driving each spindle and for driving the said member and carrierfrom their respective spindles, and 'hav- 7 ing one of the spindleshollow with the other '7 inside it:

straight.

11. In a straight bar knitting machine of the kind having a slur cockmovable to and fro along the needle line with a constant amplitude oftravel, a carrier movable therealong with a variable amplitude, a drawcam in the lower regions of the machine rotatable about an axis whichextends from front to rear of the machine, and a draw bar reciprocatedlengthwise of the machine by the draw cam; the combination of a rack ofteeth reciprocated by the draw bar with a constant amplitude, anupstanding rotary shaft, a pinion at the lower end thereof driven bysaid rack, a rack of teeth connected to the slur cock, a gear on the topend of the shaft driving the last-said rack, a second reciprocatable baradjacent the draw bar, a traverse-varying coupling connecting it to thedraw bar, a second upstanding rotary shaft, rack-and-pinion gearingconnecting its lower end to the second bar, and rackand-pinion gearingfor connecting its upper end to the carrierwhereby the latter is driventhrough the medium of the coupling.

12. In the Coulier or draw mechanism of a straight bar knitting machineof the kind incorporating a member movable to and fro along the needleline; the combination of hydraulic driving apparatus located at astation remote from said member and needle line, and rotary drivingconnections for transmitting the drive from said apparatus to themember.

13. Inthe Coulier or draw mechanism of a straight bar knitting machineof the kind incorporating a member movable to and fro along the needleline with a variable amplitude of travel; the combination with a driver,movable to and fro, and a, traverse-varying hydraulic coilpling driventhereby, which driver and coupling are located at a station remote fromthe said member, of rotary driving connections for transmitting thedrive from the coupling to the said member.

14. In the Coulier or draw mechanism of a straight bar knitting machineof the kind incorporating a member movable to and fro along the line ofneedles, and a draw member movable to and fro to drive it; thecombination of a hydraulic coupling of the piston-and-cylinder typedriven by the draw member, and rotary driving connections fortransmitting the drive from the coupling to the aforesaid member.

15. In the Coulier or draw mechanism of a straight bar knitting machineincorporating a member movable to and fro along a line of needles; thecombination of hydraulic driving apparatus, of the piston-and-cylindertype, located at a station remote from said member for driving it, androtary driving connections extending between said apparatus and saidmember.

J. E. LYNAM. P. G. MCCARTHY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

S o l d Ju y 18, 194%

